Advances in solar technology may come as a result of a new electric vehicle charging station and solar panels at UT, created in partnership with the university’s West Tennessee Solar Farm.

They are being located atop the Eleventh Street Garage and are the reason for the recent construction and space closures.

Completion is due by the end of the month, the area will offer five sports devoted solely to electric vehicles with 7 total chargers available.

The station will be connected to the Power Electronics Laboratory in the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building, part of the Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks, or CURENT.

“This is a great opportunity to help the environment while at the same time demonstrating some of the latest green technology,” said College of Engineering dean Wayne Davis.

The five-megawatt West Tennessee Solar Farm, on of southeast’s largest solar arrays, is located along interstate 40 about fifty miles northeast of Memphis.

Online since 2012, the farm is capable of producing enough energy to power 500 homes a year. It was created through the stimulus-funded Volunteer State Solar Initiative and is owned and operated by UT.

“The purpose of the West Tennessee Solar Farm is to generate power, demonstrate new technology, and educate the public about solar power. This project with the College of Engineering is a fulfillment of those goals by offering educational opportunities to students who may one day develop solar technology of the future,” said Stacey Patterson, UT System assistant vice president and director of research partnerships for UT, who coordinated efforts between the college and the solar farm.

Revenue generated by the solar farm is funding the garage project and connecting it to the Power Electronics Laboratory.

Peery family dentistry in Lynchburg, Virginia installs 1,430 square feet of solar panels to new office property in 2014.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research, U.S. solar power grew by 6.2 gigawatts in 2014, a 30% increase over the previous year–representing nearly $18 billion in new investment. Thousands of new photovoltaic (PV) arrays in homes, schools, businesses and utilities, as well as large concentrated solar power facilities raised the U.S.’s profile as one of the world’s leading adopters of solar power.

“Shayle Kann, senior vice president at GTM Research, noted that in just five years, the U.S. PV market—which does not include concentrated solar plants—has witnessed a fourfold expansion, from an estimated $3 billion in 2009 to $13.4 billion last year.”

Solar energy accounted for 32 percent of the nation’s new generating capacity in 2014, surpassing both coal and wind energy. Emerging solar states and large utilities desiring to take up renewable energy options are reasons for such increase, in addition the growing popularity of third-party leases offered by firms like SolarCity and Sunrun.

“Today the U.S. solar industry has more employees than tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Twitter combined,” Rhone Resch, SEIA’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Many states have developed well-established solar markets in the last year, leading to the residential sector adding 1.2 GW of capacity in 2014, surpassing its previous annual record of 1 GW.

States rising in the solar ranks include New Mexico, Missouri, Maryland, New York, Texas and Hawaii, each adding close to 100 MW of solar capacity in 2014.

The southeast saw an increase as well. Tennessee and Georgia experienced increases in utility-scale solar and Louisiana and South Carolina sustained growth in the residential sector.

A continued boom is expected in U.S. solar markets is expected, with a projected 31% growth target for 2015.

Nashville, Tennessee- The country’s largest public utility will begin to rely more on natural gas and renewable energy in the future.

Monday- The Tennessee Valley Authority released their resource plan for the next 20 years. This plan is a road map for how utility will respond in good or bad economic times or during periods of more environmental regulation.

TVA officials see the agency relying much more on natural gas and renewable energy, especially solar power. For the first time, TVA officials say that energy efficiency is viewed on the same level as any other forms of power.

Environmental groups responded hailing it as an important first step but that the company hasn’t gone far enough. They criticized the draft plan for not having enough development of wind power and called it a “missed opportunity” to help TVA customers save energy, lower electricity bills and foster a clean energy economy. Environmental groups have asked the public to attend the series of public meetings that TVA will hold.

TVA now serves 9 million people in parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.